North Penn students, alumni rally to save Family and Consumer Science classes

In the wake of possible budget cuts, students and former students are rallying to save the family and consumer science classes at North Penn High School. Several wrote to explain what the classes have meant to them.

However, Principal Burt Hynes said that no decision has been made to drop the classes.

'I understand everyone's concern about potential cuts and the anxiety it creates, Hynes said. 'Please know that we are still inputting student course requests into the database for next year. When that task is complete, we will begin to analyze the feasibility of running every course in the next school year. At this point, no decisions have been made and assumptions about which courses may or may not run are pure speculation. Any decisions that will have to be made cannot occur until we have tallied our students' picks for next year.

But those who have benefited from the FCS program remain passionate in its defense.

'The family and consumer science department was a place where I felt like I belonged at such a large high school,' said Quin Acciani, who graduated in 2008. 'Many students felt the same way I did. If one was not a gifted athlete, artist or musician, North Penn could have been a lonely place. Instead students with a passion for fashion, design and textiles found a place to call home in the FCS department.'

Acciani, now a senior at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in Manhattan, helped to found the Fashion Forward Club at NPHS. While at LIM, Acciani completed several high profile internships, worked backstage at fashion shows and accepted a job offer eight months before graduation at a fashion public relations firm. 'Unheard of in this industry,' she said.

'I attribute my success to knowing early on where I wanted my career to take me,' she said. 'I could not have been so firm in my decision to attend a specialized fashion college without the support of the FCS department and the education I received in my clothing classes. Instead of transferring colleges or changing majors countless times, a fate many students see, I was sure of myself and sure of my higher education needs while in high school ... To learn from teachers with direct experience in the fashion industry was also invaluable.'Ariane Gagnon, a senior at NPHS, said that she's dreamed of being a fashion designer 'since I was a little girl dancing at my mother's heels.'

'In my three years at the high school, the only place where I felt at home was in the fashion rooms,' Gagnon said. 'The ambience is like no other, the walls lined with colors and projects and the friendly and inviting faces of eager students and teachers...If I had never found my niche in this school, I would have been miserable, taking life day by day.'

Teachers Diane Galaton and Joelle Townsend 'go above and beyond to make sure that their students get the most out of their high school career,' said Gagnon. 'Just because the classes are smaller than most, doesn't mean they are any less important.'

Jennifer Zanoni, a senior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania said she was 'disheartened' to hear the FCS classes might be cut.

'The passion and enthusiasm I have for FCS stems from my experiences at North Penn and my belief (is) that is one of the most vital school subjects,' said Zanoni, who is studying to be a family and consumer sciences educator.

Samantha Park, a junior at Philadelphia University, who graduated from NPHS in 2009, said, 'I have known I wanted to pursue fashion design since creating my first garment my sophomore year of high school at North Penn. From that first year onward, my passion for garment design has grown and I am so happy with the career path I've chosen. I strongly urge you to reconsider getting rid of the classes in the FCS department, for someone like me who can find happiness and a great, creative career in the world of fashion.'

Alex Chapman, who is also a senior at LIM said, 'In an environment where I was met with animosity from fellow students, teachers and administration, I was lucky to have this program and its teachers. Their ability to teach skills and knowledge that were beyond a sports team's seasonal championship have carried me well into the beginning of a career that I am now launching as a I am preparing to exit college in New York City.'

'Five years later and I still have the leopard print coat I made in Mrs. Townsend's class,' said Kristen Jacobson, who graduated NPHS in 2008 and is a senior at Philadelphia University. 'I remember wearing it down the runway at the school's fashion show my senior year of high school. The FCS program helped me realize I wanted a career in fashion.'

Kimberly Schweriner, a senior at LIM and graduated NPHSin 2008, said that she owes her career to classes in the FCS program.

'I think it's a tragedy that they are in danger of being eliminated and future students could miss out in finding the same out for themselves,' Schweriner said. 'When I think back to high school, it was truly where my passion and love for fashion was born, and I credit that entirely to the FCS department and Mrs. Townsend.'

Christie Malozzi, a sophomore at Drexel University who graduated from NPHS in 2010 and is now studying in London, said the classes she took in the high school's FCS department 'inspired me to seek a career in the fashion industry. These courses prepared me for college and gave me an advantage over other students.'

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